snakewrangler
09-24-2007, 08:58 PM
prism_wolf had a good point on a different thread. The "exotic" pet trade begins when WC animals are kept long enough to establish some captive breeding activity. I disagree with harvesting WC animals for profit, since most of the species that herpers keep nowadays are available to us CB, but sometimes it may be necessary to start a CB effort or to keep a bloodline from becoming too inbred.
That being said, I have a question for all of you on the forum. I have been keeping herps for years, and as part of the hobby, I scour the internet up and down on a daily basis, looking at hundreds of dealers, breeders, forum sites, etc. I do it when I'm relaxing at home and sometimes at work while I'm eating lunch at my desk. Many websites, particularly those of old-timers and venomous dealers, mention animals that are F.O.B., which I think means "Fresh off the Boat," or recently imported. It seems like a lot of these dealers have access to a whole other pool of animals than people like me who are casual (yet serious) hobbyists. Sure, I can go to Kingsnake or FaunaClassifieds and buy one of these animals through a dealer or a middleman, but what I want to know is, how do you get the animal from the boat to your hands? If someone wanted to be an exotic dealer, how would they get started? Where would you look for fresh, exotic, F.O.B. ? ? ?
I am not inquiring on behalf of myself. I have just seen particular dealers that seem to be able to get the most off-the-wall and exotic animals that are much different than the stuff you see at a weekend reptile show. Originally, all the animals we keep started as WC, and the CB efforts came later, but if a hobbyist wanted a fresh start with something not previously attempted, how would they do it, legally? or, are there no longer any legal ways to get these animals? A lot of these dealers like Tom Crutchfield, who is also somewhat of a celebrity, have done prison time.
If anyone has any insight as to where exactly people are getting these animals, I'd be interested to learn a little more.
That being said, I have a question for all of you on the forum. I have been keeping herps for years, and as part of the hobby, I scour the internet up and down on a daily basis, looking at hundreds of dealers, breeders, forum sites, etc. I do it when I'm relaxing at home and sometimes at work while I'm eating lunch at my desk. Many websites, particularly those of old-timers and venomous dealers, mention animals that are F.O.B., which I think means "Fresh off the Boat," or recently imported. It seems like a lot of these dealers have access to a whole other pool of animals than people like me who are casual (yet serious) hobbyists. Sure, I can go to Kingsnake or FaunaClassifieds and buy one of these animals through a dealer or a middleman, but what I want to know is, how do you get the animal from the boat to your hands? If someone wanted to be an exotic dealer, how would they get started? Where would you look for fresh, exotic, F.O.B. ? ? ?
I am not inquiring on behalf of myself. I have just seen particular dealers that seem to be able to get the most off-the-wall and exotic animals that are much different than the stuff you see at a weekend reptile show. Originally, all the animals we keep started as WC, and the CB efforts came later, but if a hobbyist wanted a fresh start with something not previously attempted, how would they do it, legally? or, are there no longer any legal ways to get these animals? A lot of these dealers like Tom Crutchfield, who is also somewhat of a celebrity, have done prison time.
If anyone has any insight as to where exactly people are getting these animals, I'd be interested to learn a little more.